Sugar Springs

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“What exactly just happened here?” He motioned with his bottle to the emptiness around them. “One minute everyone was content, hanging out, and then as if a bell rang, they all scattered. And you can’t convince me they’re really going in to do homework on a Saturday night.”

Soft laughter made its way out of Lee Ann, and he leaned in closer to hear it better. He loved making her laugh. He feared there had been too few moments of laughter during the last thirteen years. He would make that up to her if she’d let him.

The thought gave him pause, but he realized it was the truth. He wanted to make her laugh on a regular basis. That meant he wanted to be around her the same.

She tilted up her beer instead of answering. After taking several long pulls, she remained silent.

“Did I do something else wrong?” he asked. “Just tell me and I’ll try to fix it. I swear, girls should come with owner’s manuals.”

One more long drink and she turned to him, her face mere inches away. “They think we want some alone time,” she stated blandly.

Oh. He had smarts kids. “They might be right.”

She shook her head, the movement a bit off, and he realized it didn’t take much to make her tipsy. “No, they aren’t right. You’re here only for them.” She took another drink. “In fact, since they’ve gone in, you should probably go too.”

“And what if I don’t want to go?” he asked. He lifted a hand and touched the backs of his fingers to the soft underside of her chin. Her face tilted up. “What if I want more than to be here only for them?”